'AJJUL, TALL AL-

ancient site in southern Palestine, located at the mouth of the Ghazzah Wadi just south of the town of Gaza (modern Ghazzah). The site, often called ancient Gaza, was excavated between 1930 and 1934 by British archaeologists under the direction of Sir Flinders Petrie. Although the earliest remains on the site date back perhaps as far as 2100 BC, the town seems to have reached its zenith during the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2300c. 1550 BC), especially during the 17th and 16th centuries, when it was probably controlled by the Hyksos (15th Dynasty) rulers of Egypt. Included in the remains of that period were a great Hyksos-style fosse (defense ditch), portions of several private dwellings, and a large building covering an area of about a half an acre. If, as seems probable, the building is to be identified as a palace, it is the largest palace of that period yet discovered in Palestine. The palace was succeeded by four other large buildings, the last of which probably dated from about 1200 BC.